Kansas Crimson

BiggDick wrote: ↑Tue Oct 22, 2024 5:31 pm “Elite if surrounded by enough talent” seems like some sorta oxymoron or something.

BiggDick wrote: ↑Wed Oct 23, 2024 6:52 am I think I figured out my gripe with Dajuan, in a nice concise one-sentence response sorta way:


He just doesn't play aggressive enough.

BiggDick wrote: ↑Tue Oct 22, 2024 5:31 pm “Elite if surrounded by enough talent” seems like some sorta oxymoron or something.

BiggDick wrote: ↑Wed Oct 23, 2024 6:38 am I’ve brought in a special and prominent guest writer on the condition of anonymity. College Basketball ‘Writer X’ has covered college hoops for most of this century. He also has takes.

By Writer X

That Kansas ended up No. 1 in the preseason AP poll speaks to two things: The respect Bill Self commands as the current dean of college coaches (even after Dan Hurley matched him in NCAA titles).

Also, the lack of imagination and general group think from voters.

I don’t want to be too contrarian, but I think there’s a lot of reasons to be skeptical of Kansas as the best team in the country. Let’s go through them:

— Has DaJuan Harris improved across the last two seasons? He’ll be 24 in December but he’s still never shown the ability to dominate younger competition through sheer physicality or experience. Until shown otherwise, I tend to think he is what he is.

— Where’s the NBA talent? Almost every NCAA champion has at least one or two first-round picks in the middle of the action, including the 2021-22 Kansas team. (Somewhere Jeff Goodman is still convincing himself of his own narrative that that Kansas team didn’t have the “usual” Bill Self talent.)

— I saw The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie recently released a mock draft. It included zero Kansas players in the first round and just one in the second — AJ Storr at No. 58. We can disagree about one person’s opinion.

But which player on this KU team is in the NBA in five years? Flory Bidunga? Rakease Passmore? The latter is probably not even in the rotation this year.

Scoopmeister’s note: I’m really bullish on both Bidunga and Passmore, though ‘Writer X’ isn’t wrong. Passmore is gonna have to fight for minutes.

— Speaking of AJ Storr, Bill Self has already started an interesting messaging campaign with him. Storr is a bucket getter, which is sorely needed. Kansas was terrible at the end of the shot clock last year. But I think he’s going to drive Self crazy because he won’t defend or rebound like he wants. Self will need to work his magic with him.

— To me, the biggest keys are Zeke Mayo and Rylan Griffen. They have to fill it up from three. And Mayo has to play like a borderline pro. It's a big jump in competition for him. I don't want to say he can't. But I'll wait for some evidence first. Otherwise, I just don’t see how KU is all that much different than last year.

— Hunter Dickinson is what he is. He’ll give you 20 and give up 10. I love KJ Adams. I’d love to see KJ on a team where the point guard isn't also close to a zero on offense. But with Storr and Griffen in the picture, I’d love to see Adams get some time at the 5 with Harris, Mayo, Storr and Griffen on the wing.

— Kansas should be vastly improved. But they also were pretty bad last year, all things considered. I know the injuries didn't help. But ... it's a lot on the portal guys because the returners all have flaws that aren't going away.

— Their depth is much better. All the portal guys are intriguing in their own way. I have no idea what to think about Bidunga? How many minutes does he get with Hunter and KJ in front of him? How ready is he to contribute?

Maybe there’s not a better alternative for preseason No. 1. But KenPom has at least five other options.

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BiggDick wrote: ↑Wed Oct 23, 2024 7:49 am
It's that I just think he doesn't play aggressive enough, in a comprehensive sense.

KUTradition wrote: ↑Wed Oct 23, 2024 8:29 am i couldn’t care less how many nba prospects are on this team (or any other KU team)

teams full of such talent have flamed out (both during the season and in the first couple weekends of the tourney)

randylahey wrote: ↑Wed Oct 23, 2024 8:28 am Pass first pgs are a dying breed.

randylahey wrote: ↑Wed Oct 23, 2024 8:28 am Pass first pgs are a dying breed. Conley and jrue holiday might both be great facilitators and play that style well, and it impacts winning at a high level. But both are absolutely talented enough to be scoring point guards too

Holiday and Conley both might have been the top point guard in their recruiting class. They both possess elite athletic ability and we're high ranked 5 star Mcdonald all American top recruits. In a pinch, they could beat their man and create something. Dajuan just doesn't really have the tools for that. He relies on the offense and screens to create